Lifestyle choices and habits considered harmful, such as smoking, excessive alcohol use or fast food consumption, can cause organizations to perform inefficiently due to health concerns and lowered work performance. These choices may not be rational, and with proper motivation and inducement, the users could be persuaded to change their behaviours towards healthier lifestyle. In the literature, mobile applications are considered to be especially suited for this, as the mobile devices are always carried around and the persuasion of the user can happen at the best possible moment – the Kairos. We propose a method of using continuations to iteratively collect personalized information from the user and from immediate environment by utilizing embedded sensors in the mobile device and infrastructure-based services as data sources for persuasive applications. This information, with previously collected individual historical information, all stored within the continuation, is used to gradually eliminate the non-contributing factors of the Kairos, for the individual user and for the targeted behaviour. This method will eventually provide closer estimates of the Kairos-moments, thus improving the changes of persuading user successfully.


Organised crime groups have been profiting from illicit trafficking in waste for decades at the expense of human health and the environment. The damage resulting from this activity is severe and often irreversible. To this day, national and international responses have been inadequate. Existing measures are not commensurate with the gravity of the problem, or with the magnitude of the gains made by organized crime groups. More importantly, the transnational nature of this problem means that coordinated action must be taken across borders. With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, this is made possible: the EU now has the means to approximate definitions of criminal conduct and related levels of sanctions using Article 83(1) TFEU. This contribution explores the problem of organized trafficking in waste and argues, on the basis of an interdisciplinary analysis, that European criminal law measures must be adopted in order to effectively combat this illicit activity.


1. Background: The application of massively parallel sequencing has led to the identification of aberrant druggable pathways and somatic mutations within therapeutically relevant genes in gastro-oesophageal cancer. Given the widespread use of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples in the study of this disease, it would be beneficial, especially for the purposes of biomarker evaluation, to assess the concordance between comprehensive exome-wide sequencing data from archival FFPE samples originating from a prospective clinical study and those derived from fresh-frozen material. 2. Methods: We analysed whole-exome sequencing data to define the mutational concordance of 16 matched fresh-frozen and FFPE gastro-oesophageal tumours (N = 32) from a prospective clinical study. We assessed DNA integrity prior to sequencing and then identified coding mutations in genes that have previously been implicated in other cancers. In addition, we calculated the mutant-allele heterogeneity (MATH) for these samples. 3. Results: Although there was increased degradation of DNA in FFPE samples compared with frozen samples, sequencing data from only two FFPE samples failed to reach an adequate mapping quality threshold. Using a filtering threshold of mutant read counts of at least ten and a minimum of 5% variant allele frequency (VAF) we found that there was a high median mutational concordance of 97% (range 80.1–98.68%) between fresh-frozen and FFPE gastro-oesophageal tumour-derived exomes. However, the majority of FFPE tumours had higher mutant-allele heterogeneity (MATH) scores when compared with corresponding frozen tumours (p < 0.001), suggesting that FFPE-based exome sequencing is likely to over-represent tumour heterogeneity in FFPE samples compared to fresh-frozen samples. Furthermore, we identified coding mutations in 120 cancer-related genes, including those associated with chromatin remodelling and Wnt/β-catenin and Receptor Tyrosine Kinase signalling. 4. Conclusions: These data suggest that comprehensive genomic data can be generated from exome sequencing of selected DNA samples extracted from archival FFPE gastro-oesophageal tumour tissues within the context of prospective clinical trials.


Proprotein convertases (PC) are a family of 9 serine proteases involved in the processing of cellular pro-proteins. They trigger the activation, inactivation or functional changes of many hormones, neuropeptides, growth factors and receptors. Therefore, these enzymes are essential for cellular homeostasis in health and disease. Nine PC subtilisin/kexin genes (PCSK1 to PCSK9) encoding for PC1/3, PC2, furin, PC4, PC5/6, PACE4, PC7, SKI-1/S1P and PCSK9 are known. The expression of PC1/3, PC2, PC5/6, Furin and PC7 in lymphoid organs such as lymph nodes, thymus and spleen has suggested a role for these enzymes in immunity. In fact, knock-out of Furin in T cells was associated with high secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and autoantibody production in mice. This suggested a key role for this enzyme in immune tolerance. Moreover, Furin through its proteolytic activity, regulates the suppressive functions of Treg and thus prevents chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases. In macrophages, Furin is also involved in the regulation of their inflammatory phenotype. Similarly, PC1/3 inhibition combined with TLR4 stimulation triggers the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway with an increased secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Factors secreted by PC1/3 KD macrophages stimulated with LPS exert a chemoattractive effect on naive auxiliary T lymphocytes (Th0) and anti-tumoral activities. The link between TLR and PCs is thus very important in inflammatory response regulation. Furin regulates TL7 and TLR8 processing and trafficking whereas PC1/3 controls TLR4 and TLR9 trafficking. Since PC1/3 and Furin are key regulators of both the innate and adaptive immune responses their inhibition may play a major role in oncoimmune therapy. The role of PCs in the oncoimmune response and therapeutic strategies based on PCs inhibition are proposed in the present review.


Abstract The literature on social design consists of studies that report on single cases on the one hand and global reviews that are offered for theoretical purposes on the other. There is a lack of local reviews that report on social design practices that stem from peculiar political, economic, design professional and educational contexts. In response to this gap, we provide a review of 27 social design practices in Turkey from the last decade. The projects are compiled in accordance with social design criteria derived from the literature. Sampled projects were analysed via textual analysis of their representations on design media. In our findings, we demonstrate the ways in which local context shapes local social design practices. We also outline a framework for the discussion of prominent issues, range of actors, objectives, and participatory approaches.


The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates a toxic response to many environmental contaminants. Cartilaginous fishes, due to gene duplication events, express 4 distinct AHR genes. Squalus acanthias AHR1 (SaAHR1) does not bind to typical AHR agonists, including dioxin-like chemicals (DLCs), whereas SaAHR2 binds to DLCs and subsequently upregulates genes containing dioxin responsive elements. Three-dimensional homology models were created based upon both human HIF1α and human HIF2α structural templates. These models yielded different secondary structural characteristics, most notably in the length of the β-strand on the C-terminal end of the ligand binding domain, which is centrally located in the antiparallel β-sheet that makes up a large portion of the ligand binding cavity. Residue A375 is located in a possible hinge area on this β-strand, and the mutation A375C would change this alanine residue in the nonbinding SaAHR1 to its analog in the DLC-binding SaAHR2, which may increase SaAHR1's binding affinity to DLCs. The SaAHR1 also has a novel diproline motif comprising residues 379 and 380, located on the same β- strand as residue 375. This motif is not known to be found in any other AHR isoforms. Reversion of the diproline motif to proline-leucine, its analogous residues in SaAHR2, did not restore PCB 126 induced activation of a luciferase reporter gene. Epifluorescence microscopy using a heterologous expression system and an eGFP-SaAHR1 DNA construct revealed a nuclear localization unique to this isoform. Further characterization of this non-binding receptor could help to determine species-specific sensitivities to AHR agonists, especially in animals that are unavailable for direct experimentation (i.e.: endangered species).


Field and greenhouse studies examined glyphosate and several ACCase-inhibitor herbicides for control of wirestem muhly. A field study evaluated application rate and timing for control in glyphosate-resistant soybean. Herbicides were applied at two rates, 4 and 6 wk after planting (WAP) of soybean when wirestem muhly was about 30 and 50 cm tall, respectively. A complimentary greenhouse experiment with the same herbicides examined wirestem muhly rhizome viability 30 days after herbicide application. A second field study examined optimum glyphosate application timing for control of wirestem muhly during a fallow rotation period. Glyphosate was applied at 14-day intervals from mid-May through early October. In the first field study, glyphosate, fluazifop, and clethodim provided better control of wirestem muhly than sethoxydim and quizalofop. Clethodim, fluazifop, and glyphosate provided 74 to 92% control over both rates and application timings, whereas quizalofop and sethoxydim were the least effective, providing only 52 to 64% control regardless of rate or timing. In the greenhouse, glyphosate was the most effective herbicide, providing at least 97% control and an 87% reduction in shoot biomass; sethoxydim and fluazifop were the least effective herbicides. All of the herbicides reduced rhizome viability compared to nontreated plants up to 71%, but no difference between herbicides was observed. In the second field study, end-of-season ratings revealed that glyphosate provided 95 to 100% control of wirestem muhly from applications made between late June and early September. The year following application, glyphosate provided 91 to 99% control of wirestem muhly from applications made between mid-June and early September. Applications earlier than mid-June or after early September resulted in less than 90% control. Overall, results show that (1) glyphosate was the most effective herbicide; (2) the ACCase-inhibitor herbicides differ in their effectiveness; and (3) rate and application timing can impact control. Nomenclature: Clethodim, fluazifop, glyphosate, sethoxydim, quizalofop, wirestem muhly, Muhlenbergia frondosa (Poir.) Fern. MUHFR, soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. 'A5403: 40-3-2'


Spectral Doppler ultrasound imaging allows visualizing blood flow by estimating its velocity distribution over time. Duplex ultrasound is a modality in which an ultrasound system is used for displaying simultaneously both B-mode images and spectral Doppler data. In B-mode imaging short wide-band pulses are used to achieve sufficient spatial resolution in the images. In contrast, for Doppler imaging, narrow-band pulses are preferred in order to attain increased spectral resolution. Thus, the acquisition time must be shared between the two sequences. In this work, we propose a non-uniform slow-time transmission scheme for spectral Doppler, based on nested arrays, which reduces the number of pulses needed for accurate spectrum recovery. We derive the minimal number of Doppler emissions needed, using this approach, for perfect reconstruction of the blood spectrum in a noise-free environment. Next, we provide two spectrum recovery techniques which achieve this minimal number. The first method performs efficient recovery based on the fast Fourier transform. The second allows for continuous recovery of the Doppler frequencies, thus avoiding off-grid error leakage, at the expense of increased complexity. The performance of the techniques is evaluated using realistic Field II simulations, showing accurate estimation of the blood velocity spectrum using only 12% of the transmissions. The time gained, where no Doppler pulses are sent, can be used to enable the display of both blood velocities and high quality B-mode images at a high frame rate.


This study presents a novel approach for mapping global chromatin interactions using S1 nuclease, a sequence-agnostic enzyme. We develop and outline a protocol that leverages S1 nuclease's ability to effectively introduce breaks into both open and closed chromatin regions, allowing for comprehensive profiling of chromatin properties. Our S1 Hi-C method enables the preparation of high-quality Hi-C libraries, marking a significant advancement over previously established DNase I Hi-C protocols. Moreover, S1 nuclease's capability to fragment chromatin to mono-nucleosomes suggests the potential for mapping the three-dimensional organization of the genome at high resolution. This methodology holds promise for an improved understanding of chromatin state-dependent activities and may facilitate the development of new genomic methods.


In this paper, we apply divisible load theory to model the Grid scheduling problem involving multiple sources to multiple sinks, and present an optimized scheduling technique for this scenario. This scheduling technique can be easily extended to schedule resources with buffer space constraints. We provide a step-wise scheduling algorithm for these constraints. Two example calculations will show the practical utility and efficiency of DLT.


PbS nanoparticles modified with di-n-hexadecyldithiophosphate (DDP) were prepared by the chemical surface modification method. The structure of the PbS nanoparticles coated with DDP was investigated by means of infrared spectroscopy (ir), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and ^31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (^31P NMR). The thermal stability of DDP coating on the PbS nanoparticles was compared with that of pyridinium di-n-hexadecyldithiophosphate (PyDDP) using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). It was found that coated PbS nanoparticles had an average diameter of about 5 nm. Surface modification with DDP prevented water adsorption and effectively improved the dispersive capacity and antioxidative stability of PbS nanoparticles. The thermal stability of DDP coating on the surface of nano-PbS particles was higher than that of modifier PyDDP because of the chemical interaction between PyDDP and PbS during the coating process.


In order to study the explosion characteristics of nanometer aluminum, comparative experimental studies on explosion characteristics of nanometer aluminum powder and common aluminum powder with different grain diameters have been carried out by using the horizontal pipeline explosive test device. After analyzing both the explosion process and the data of explosion characteristics of two aluminum powder during the experiment, some explosion characteristics of nanometer aluminum powder different from common aluminum powder can be concluded. Research result expressed: The maximal duration of explosion pressure of nanometer aluminum powder in its explosion process is much longer, which is about 3 to 4 times longer than non-nanometer aluminum; In the nanometer range, the scope of explosion pressure is much wider (between the 40~750kPa) than others, and as a whole, explosion pressure of the nanometer aluminum powder is much higher than the micron aluminum powder; In the process of explosion propagation of aluminum powder, flame combustion wave and explosion pressure wave show the positive feedback mechanism, which is interacting with each other and accelerating each other.


AIMS
Soybean root rot, caused by Fusarium oxysporum, leads to significant economic and financial losses to the soybean processing industry globally. In the study, we aimed to explore a biocontrol agent to combat F. oxysporum infection in soybean.

METHODS AND RESULTS
From soybean rhizosphere soil, 48 strains were isolated. Among them, the strain DR11 exhibited the highest inhibition rate of 72.27%. Morphological, physiological, biochemical, and 16S rDNA identification revealed that the strain DR11 was Klebsiella grimontii DR11. Strain DR11 could inhibit the growth of F. oxysporum and spore formation and alter the mycelial morphology. At 5.0 × 106 CFU mL-1, pH 7, and 30 °C, it exhibited the highest inhibitory rate (72.27%). Moreover, it could decrease the activity of cell-wall-degrading enzymes of F. oxysporum. Simultaneously, the activities of defense-related enzymes and content of malondialdehyde in soybean plants were increased after treatment with strain DR11. In addition, strain DR11 could form aggregates to form biofilm and adsorb on the surface of soybean roots. It inhibited F. oxysporum growth on soybean seedlings, with an inhibitory effect of 62.71%.

CONCLUSION
K. grimontii DR11 had a strong inhibitory effect on F. oxysporum and could be used as a biocontrol agent to combat F. oxysporum infection in soybean.


We introduce the concept of LabLinking: a technology-based interconnection of experimental laboratories across institutions, disciplines, cultures, languages, and time zones - in other words experiments without borders. In particular, we introduce LabLinking levels (LLL), which define the degree of tightness of empirical interconnection between labs. We describe the technological infrastructure in terms of hard- and software required for the respective LLLs and present examples of linked laboratories along with insights about the challenges and benefits. In sum, we argue that linked labs provide a unique platform for a continuous exchange between scientists and experimenters, thereby enabling a time synchronous execution of experiments performed with and by decentralized user and researchers, improving outreach and ease of subject recruitment, allowing to establish new experimental designs and to incorporate a panoply of complementary biosensors, devices, hard- and software solutions.


Recently a study was undertaken to narrate and analyse the World War II experience of South African prisoners-of-war (POWs). One of the aims of the study was to provide a voice to the POWs whose stories had gone largely unobserved by local and international historians. The objective of this article is to describe the research method. The reasons for the extensive reliance on oral interviews are explained by providing an overview of the historiography and by describing the nature of the archival material. Additionally, specific analytical aspects concerning oral history, such as memory, retrospective knowledge, dual evaluation and intergenerational communication, are considered, as well as the manner in which rapport was established between the researcher and the participants. To show how the oral and the written word influence the way in which historical events - and the participants in those events - may be interpreted by present-day researchers, the way in which POW memoirs were used in conjunction with oral testimony in this study is also described.


Schiff bases occupy a pride place both in organic and inorganic chemistry, as they have wide applications in many biological aspects. Metal complexes of Schiff bases have occupied a central role in the development of coordination chemistry. Schiff base transition metal complexes are one of the most adaptable and thoroughly studied systems. Isoxazoles are biologically active and have considerable medicinal value. A wide range of biological activities of Isoxazole derivatives include pharmacological properties such as hypoglycemic, antiinflammatory, antibacterial, anticancer and also agrochemical properties like herbicidal, soil fungicidal activity and have applications as pesticides and insecticides. Isoxazole and its derivatives were found to be physiologically active and also found applications in pharmaceuticals because of their resemblance with pyrazole. In view of the above, it was thought worthwhile to study the synthesis, characterization, formation constants and antimicrobial activity of metal complexes of isoxazole Schiff bases


This article presents an empirical analysis of wage flexibility in the formal private sector in Turkey. The analysis is based on a wage bargaining model that links the nominal wage demands to labour market conditions, which are proxied by the rate of unemployment; productivity improvements; and price expectations. The model is estimated on the basis of panel data of the formal private manufacturing industry; and changes in the wage setting mechanism as the country shifts from an import substituting industrialization strategy to an export-oriented growth regime are discussed. This debate is particularly important in terms of its policy implications, and is relevant to current international discussions of the role of labour markets during structural adjustment. In most economic policy discussions, unemployment is assumed to be a labour market rigidity problem. The results of this article, however, suggest that increased flexibility of wages leaves little room for such arguments. In the light of these findings, the prospect of wage rigidity becomes immaterial, and a focus on the structural problems of the economy, which are outside the labour market, becomes central.


—Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) have emerged as a key technology for next-generation wireless networking. Routing in WMNs is challenging because of the unpredictable variations in the wireless environments. However, there is two ways to enhance the performance of routing protocol in WMNs. One way is to improve the metric used in the selection path; the second way is to modify the routing algorithms by considering new characteristics of WMN. In this paper, expected transmission time and interference aware metrics are used as the default metrics for single radio and Multi-radio AODV routing protocols respectively. The two routing protocols have been implementing in mesh wireless test bed consisting of up to 200 mesh nodes, using OMNeT++ Simulation tool. It has been demonstrated that multi-radio AODV routing protocol with iAWARE metric, gives better performance in terms of end to end delay, packet loss and throughput.


Transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha) is a 50-amino acid peptide, previously demonstrated only in transformed cell lines and human tumors, which is structurally homologous to epidermal growth factor (EGF). TGF-alpha expression in keratinocytes from normal individuals, patients with psoriasis, and patients with malignant skin diseases was investigated using an mAb raised against synthetic human TGF-alpha. mAb A1.5 reacted with TGF-alpha, but not EGF, in a sensitive ELISA. Keratinocytes in eight nodular basal cell carcinomas, one morpheic basal cell carcinoma, and one squamous cell carcinoma demonstrated intense membranous immunoperoxidase staining with mAb A1.5. Of even greater interest was the observation that the overlying normal epidermis, as well as the epidermis from five normal skin specimens, were stained by the mAb. Keratinocytes in plaques from 18 psoriasis patients were more intensely stained than those from normal skin. Cultured normal keratinocytes demonstrated membranous staining with mAb A1.5. Absorption of mAb A1.5 with synthetic human TGF-alpha completely removed the reactivity of mAb A1.5 with both basal cell tumors and normal epidermis. The demonstration of TGF-alpha in normal keratinocytes suggests that it plays a role in normal keratinocyte growth, wound healing, and in the pathogenesis of acanthosis.


Because of its excellent mechanical properties, yttria-stabilized zirconia is currently used as an orthopedic and dental material. In this study, we have improved the bioactivity of yttria-stabilized zirconia by a combination of electrical polarization and chemical treatment. The phase transformation from tetragonal to monoclinic ZrO2 after alkaline treatment was inhibited on positively-charged yttria-stabilized zirconia surfaces compared with negatively charged and conventional surfaces. During polarization, some oxide ions move from the positively-charged surface to the negatively charged surface, leading to an increase in oxygen vacancies on the positive surface and hence greater formation of Zr-OH when this surface was exposed to alkaline solution. This then reduced the water adsorption at this surface and consequently reduced the rate of cleavage of Zr-O-Zr bonds. The bioactivity was assessed by immersing the samples in simulated body fluid and evaluating the growth of apatite on the surfaces. The combination of polarization and alkaline treatment increased the bioactivity in vitro.


type="main"> This paper studies the nature of youth poverty dynamics in Europe. First, it analyzes to what extent experiencing poverty in a given period is in itself positively related to the probability of living below the poverty line again in the future. That is, we assess the degree of poverty genuine state dependence among young people. Second, we study the interrelationships between poverty, employment, and residential emancipation. The results show that youth poverty genuine state dependence is positive and highly significant, but this scarring effect is short-lived in Scandinavia compared to Southern or Continental Europe. Moreover, although we find a strong association between poverty and leaving home in Nordic countries, time spent in economic hardship does not last long. On the contrary, in Spain and Italy, young adults tend to leave their parental home much later in order to avoid falling into a poverty state that is more persistent.


Powered by the emergence of the Internet of Things, smart homes containing a variety of sensors and actuators are expected to monitor and react to the activities of the residents with the goal of improving convenience, comfort and safety. However, in typical home settings, each human Activity of Daily Living (ADL) generates events from multiple sensors, and each sensor is triggered by multiple ADLs. Consequently, achieving high detection accuracy in these complex environments requires large amounts of training data for every possible multiplexing scenario, making it a complex problem. In this paper, we propose a data driven three-step de-multiplexing approach that simplifies the ADL recognition problem by first segmenting the event stream into periods of interest, before feeding to a classifier. We mine datasets to identify salient features which allow us to achieve a good segmentation. Extensive evaluation on ten public datasets shows that our approach achieves upto 77% segmentation accuracy, and a activity detection accuracy within 91% of the best possible.


Children's Step Counts on Weekend, Physical Education, and Non-Physical Education Days There have been well-documented increases in overweight and obese children, sedentary lifestyles, and increased prevalence of a hypokinetic disease over the past 20 years. Thus understanding the physical activity patterns of children is essential for developing effective interventions. Little evidence exists that illustrates the contribution of weekend, physical education, and non-physical education days to overall physical activity patterns of children. The purpose of the study was to examine differences in pedometer-determined physical activity patterns of fourth and fifth grade children during weekend, physical education and non-physical education days. Three hundred and sixty-three children (8-11 years old) from six Southwestern USA elementary schools participated by wearing pedometers (Yamax Digiwalker SW-200) for seven consecutive days. Children recorded their steps at arrival to school and when they woke up and went to bed on weekend days. During weekdays, the fourth and fifth grade children averaged 13,196 ± 3,334 and 11,295 ± 3,168 steps/day for boys and girls, respectively. This is compared to a weekend average of 7,660 ± 4,647steps/day (boys) and 7,317 ± 4,062 steps/day (girls). Children were significantly more active on physical education days, averaging 12,979 steps/day (14,197 ± 4,697 steps/day for boys and 12,058 ± 3,772 steps/day for girls),compared to non-physical education school days, when they accumulated 11,809 steps/day (12,788 ± 3,600 steps/day for boys and 11,047 ± 3,382 steps/day for girls). Based on the findings in this study, children and youth are more active during school days than on weekend days. Furthermore, children are more active on physical education days than non-physical education days. These findings suggest that increased physical activity programming and interventions during weekend days may be needed to increase physical activity. The expansion of school-based physical education across more school days may also serve to increase children's physical activity during the school week.


ISSUE ADDRESSED
Online systems offer opportunities to provide effective, ongoing support to childcare services to implement dietary guidelines. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a dissemination strategy on childcare service: (i) adoption; and (ii) use of an online menu planning program designed to increase compliance with dietary guidelines.

METHODS
A nonrandomised controlled trial was conducted with long day care services across Australia. All services received an email invitation to access an online evidence-based menu planning program. Services in the intervention also received training, telephone contact and provision of a portable computer tablet to encourage program adoption and use. Outcomes were assessed at the 6-month follow-up using analytics data recorded by the online program. Outcomes included the proportion of services having accessed the program (adoption) and the proportion of services with a current menu entered in the program (use as intended).

RESULTS
Twenty-seven interventions and 19 control services took part. At the 6-month follow-up, 100% vs 58% of services had adopted the online menu planning program (OR: 14.67, 95% CI: 2.43-infinity; P < 0.01) and 41% vs 5% of services had a current menu entered in the program (OR: 9.99, 95% CI: 1.01-534.57; P < 0.01) in the intervention and control arms respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
This study highlights the need for strategies to support adoption and use of an online menu planning program in childcare services if the potential benefits of such a program are to be achieved. Future research should explore the effectiveness of differing strategies to increase adoption and use of online programs at scale. SO WHAT?: Strategies to support childcare service uptake and use of online programs are required in order for the potential public health benefits of such technologies to be realised.


Human brain tissue is a heterogeneous material, consisting of soft outer grey matter tethered internally by stiffer cords of white matter. These white matter tracts conduct electrical impulses between grey matter regions, thereby underpinning neuronal communication. Understanding the material properties of white matter is thus crucial for understanding brain function generally. Efforts to assess white matter microstructure are currently hampered by the inherent limitations of reconstruction by diffusion imaging. Techniques typically represent white matter structures with single scalars that are often difficult to interpret. Here, we address these issues by introducing tools from materials physics for the characterization of white matter microstructure. We investigate structure on a mesoscopic scale by analyzing its homogeneity and determining which regions of the brain are structurally homogeneous, or 'crystalline' in the context of materials physics. We find that crystallinity provides novel information and varies across the brain along interpretable lines of anatomical difference, with highest homogeneity in regions adjacent to the corpus callosum, a large interhemispheric tract. Furthermore, crystallinity is markedly reliable across iterative measurement, yet also varies between individual human volunteers, making it potentially useful for examining individual differences in white matter along several dimensions including sex and age. We also parcellate white matter into 'crystal grains', or contiguous sets of voxels of high structural similarity, and find overlap with a common atlas of distinct white matter areas. Finally, we characterize the shapes of individual diffusion signatures through another tool from materials physics—bond-orientational order parameters—to locate fiber crossings and fascicles. Our results provide new means of assessing white matter microstructure on multiple length scales, and open multiple avenues of future inquiry involving soft matter physics and neuroscience.


We advance entrepreneurship research by developing a theoretical model of how founding teams form and dynamically evolve via episodic addition and exit of cofounders. Our neo-Carnegie model situates founders in particular network-structural milieu, engaging in aspiration-driven search for and evaluation of prospective cofounders. Founding team formation is a consequence of mutually favorable evaluations in a multi-sided matching process. Founding team churn emerges as a consequence of shifting dominant coalition dynamics driven by organic venture evolution and intentional changes in strategic direction. Our multi-level model provides new insights on formation pathways of founding teams – both prior and subsequent to opportunity identification, teams' initial task and relational endowments and their dynamic evolution.


Liver transplantation (LT) is a widely-accepted, definitive therapy of irreversible liver diseases including hepatitis C, alcoholic liver disease and metabolic liver disease. After transplantation, patients generally use a variety of immunosuppressive medications for the rest of their lives to prevent rejection of transplanted liver. Mortality after LT is mainly caused by recurrence of alcoholic hepatitis which is mostly seen in the patients who resume heavy drinking. On the other hand, de-novo malignancies after LT are not seldom. Skin cancers make up 13.5% of the de-novo malignancies seen in these patients. Malignancies tend to affect survival earlier in the course with a 53% risk of death at 5 years after diagnosis. We aimed to report a case who underwent LT secondary to alcoholic liver disease and developed squamous cell carcinoma of the skin eighteen years after transplantation. In summary, transplant recipients are recommended to be educated on self examination for skin cancer; health care providers should be further suspicious during routine dermatological examinations of the transplant patients and biopsies of possible lesions for skin cancer is warranted even many years after transplantation.


Skin and soft tissue infections are most commonly caused by staphylococci or streptococci. Rarely, they can develop due to bacteria of the genus Aeromonas after contact with contaminated water and soil following trauma. A 75-year-old female diabetic patient applied to the infectious diseases outpatient clinic with complaints of swelling, pain, redness, tenderness, erythema and warmth in her lower leg. The patient had a skin deformity as a result of a previous traffic accident and she had gone to thermal springs 2 weeks before. Streaking suggestive of lymphangitis, redness, bullous lesions and right lower extremity edema were noted. Leukocyte count was 18 300/μL (87% neutrophils), C-reactive protein was 26.1 mg/dL, erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 57 mm/h, hemoglobin was 10.3 mg/dL, and albumin was 2.3 gr/dL. Vascular pathology was not detected in the lower extremity venous Doppler examination. In superficial soft tissue ultrasonography examination, diffuse thickening of skin and subcutaneous area, 3×5 cm diameter small fluid collection defined as cellulitis and abscess in the lower right leg were observed. On the second day of admission, Aeromonas hydrophila was isolated from the drainage culture of abscess. Isolated strain was resistant to penicillin, ampicillin and cefazolin, and susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin and secondand third-generation cephalosporins. She was treated with ciprofloxacin 400 mg IV bid and ceftriaxone 2 gr IV qd, and treatment was completed to 14 days. She was discharged from the hospital 16 days after admission with recovery. As noted in this case study, the cellulitis in the setting of soft tissue trauma and exposure to water and soil should alert the clinician regarding the possibility of infection with Aeromonas. Klimik Dergisi 2019; 32(1): 99-101.


The problem of computing minimal triangulations, or minimal ll, of graphs was introduced and solved in 1976 by Rose, Tarjan, and Lueker in time O(nm), thus O(n) for dense graphs. Although the topic has received increasing attention since then, and several new results on characterizing and computing minimal triangulations have been presented, this rst time bound has remained unbeaten. In this paper we introduce an O(n log n) time algorithm for computing minimal triangulations, where O(n ) is the time required to multiply two n n matrices. The current best known is 2:376, and thus our result breaks the long standing asymptotic time complexity bound for this problem. To achieve this result, we introduce and combine several techniques that are new to minimal triangulation algorithms, like working on the complement of the input graph, graph search for a vertex set A that bounds the size of the connected components when A is removed, and matrix multiplication.


Having awareness and knowledge on the basis of population is imperative and a crucial step in effective planning programme, implementing and delivering services for all areas. The attempt with this research is to shed more light on the conditions that these ethnic groups live in. Negligence and backwardness of the study population are stretched to the extent that even literatures are scarce. The aim of the present study is describe the living conditions of Zeme, Liangmai, and Rongmei of Zeliangrong tribe residing in Tamenglong District in relation to socio economic dimension with an objective to document the demography, objective and subjective living conditions to find association with the living condition in relation to Sub-Tribes. A total of 132 sample households were participated. Descriptive research design is adopted and purposive sampling was selected. Results confirmed that Road and transportation, Health care and Sanitation facilities, Quality education, Supply of electricity and water, Income and Recreation facilities are found to be an utmost necessary intervention among this community. Even a simple analysis of the tribal people and the district clearly shows that they are in great need of attention. It is found that even within same ethnic community, there is a variance in the needs of the people which is reflected in the living condition. Geographical location itself offered a major contributor variable to accessibility. It depicted the lopsided paradigm of development. In a nation which is built on the ideals of the democracy, leaving behind any tribe or community or people is unacceptable in more ways than one. It is only logical to suggest that who brings development should also make development accessible to the people the development is intended for. Accessibility is not a magic wand that could instantly make the problems disappear into thin air. Accessibility to quality services could only make development meaning and would serve its purpose. A decent standard of living adequate nutrition, healthcare, quality education, work and protection are not just developmental goals, they are also human rights. Human rights are essential for full human development (UNDP, Human Development Report, 2000). The present study is an appeal for an action on behalf of this community who has contributed in small or big way for the development of our country to obtain their rightful share of human rights.
Key Words: Living Conditions, Tribal, Zeliangrong Tribe


Speaking of a "Pacific Age" is now commonplace. About a hundred years ago, however, it was almost a flight of fancy. In 1890, Manjiro Inagaki, a Cambridge-educated Japanese diplomat, wrote: "Without doubt the Pacific will in the coming century be the platform of commercial and political enterprise. This truth, however, escapes the eyes of ninety-nine out of a hundred, just as did the importance of Eastern Europe in 1790 and of Central Asia in 1857."1 Inagaki's belief was based on the seemingly inevitable clash of interests between England and Russia in those years. The rivalry for spheres of influence between the two "super powers" extended from the Balkans to Central Asia/Afghanistan and was now, he thought, extending to Eastern Asia and the Pacific. The "Pacific Question" was, he maintained, an inevitable extension of the "Eastern Question. , 2


The simplest and fastest way of producing an acceptable and accurate cast is by adopting the two-pour or inversion method. This process is slightly cumbersome and messy due to difficulty of access. A much more efficient, easy and artistic way of accomplishing it is described by adopting a Rotating Cake Icing Table with a Silicone Baking Mat on top as an autoclavable non-stick barrier.


Established in the late imperial era, "one hundred beauties" (baimei) genre selected and portrayed one hundred beautiful women in Chinese history often through three cultural artifacts: woodblock print portraits, biographies, and poems. This paper takes as its focus the anthology Gujin baimei tuyong 古今百美 图咏 (Illustrated biographies of and poems on one hundred beauties of the past and the present, 1917), which has not received scholarly attention before. Bringing together collections of old and new-style beauties, the anthology is a showcase of the genre straddling two centuries. The transformation of the genre, as reflected in the Gujin baimei tuyong, complicates a simplistic distinction between tradition and modernity while enriching our understanding of the changing representations of women.


Qualitative and quantitative alterations of human tenascin (TN) expression in virally transformed lung fibroblasts and in lung tumor tissues were investigated using S1 nuclease protection analysis in comparison with those of fibronectin (FN). Transformed fibroblasts and fetal lung tissues expressed more TN mRNA with an extra sequence encoding the sixth FN type III repeat than did normal cells and adult tissues. The splicing pattern of TN mRNA was also altered in many lung cancer tissues, showing increased or sometimes decreased expression of the TN mRNA with the extra sequence when compared with their surrounding normal tissues. These results provide additional evidence for the oncodevelopmental regulation of alternative RNA splicing in human lung tissues, first observed with FN mRNA (F. Oyama, et al., Cancer Res., 50: 1075-1078, 1990). Quantitative analysis of the levels of TN and FN mRNAs showed that the ratio of TN mRNA to FN mRNA was significantly increased in transformed fibroblasts and in some lung tumor tissues, when compared with their normal counterparts. Among different types of lung tumors, a significant increase of the TN/FN ratio was observed with most squamous cell carcinoma but with only a small fraction of adenocarcinoma. Since TN has been shown to inhibit cell adhesion to FN, the altered ratio of TN mRNA to FN mRNA may well affect the adhesive and migratory properties of tumor cells in lung cancer tissues.


The underrepresentation of Black men in professional psychology represents a critical issue, but this topic has received relatively limited coverage in the extant literature. Given the complex challenges facing many Black communities, we contend that increasing the number of African American male professional psychologists represents one component of the multi-pronged plan to tackle these problems. However, there is a dearth of scholarship that explicitly highlights the potential contributions Black men can make to professional psychology, particularly those with an African/Black psychology lens. We address this gap by exploring the impact of increasing the number of Black male professional psychologists. We detail the contributions Black male psychologists can make in clinical, academic, and research settings, with a particular focus on how their work can affect outcomes for Black boys and men in these three settings. Embedded in our analysis, we highlight the need to incorporate an African/Black psychology lens to address the needs of Black communities. We also examine how the increased presence of Black male professional psychologists can potentially influence other Black men to consider and enter the field. This information will be of particular interest to educators, researchers, and practitioners invested in enhancing the professional psychology pipeline for Black men.


The pricing of crop insurance products hinges crucially on the accurate estimation of the underlying yield densities. Multiple estimation methods have already been examined in the literature, but the need for other potential candidates remains essential. Here we propose and examine a Bayesian nonparametric model which is based on Dirichlet processes for yield estimation. We deploy our proposed model for the empirical estimation of county level yield data for Cotton from Texas. Next, we examine the implications of our modeling framework on the pricing of the Group Risk Plan (GRP) insurance compared to a nonparametric Kernel-type model.


Currently, the predominant process for soy protein concentrate (SPC) production is aqueous ethanol washing of hexane-extracted soy meal. However, the use of hexane is less desired, which explains the increased interest in cold pressing for oil removal. In this study, cold-pressed soy meal was used as the starting material, and a range of water/ethanol ratios was applied for the washing process to produce SPCs. Washing enriched the protein content for the SPCs, regardless of the solvent used. However, we conclude that washing with water (0% ethanol) or solvents with a high water/ethanol ratio (60% and above) can be more advantageous. Washing with a high water/ethanol ratio resulted in the highest yield, and SPCs with the highest protein solubility and water holding capacity. The water-only washed SPC showed the highest viscosity, and formed gels with the highest gel strength and hardness among all the SPCs at a similar protein concentration. The variations in the functionality among the SPCs were attributed to protein changes, although the effects of non-protein constituents such as sugar and oil might also be important. Overall, the aqueous ethanol washing process combined with cold-pressed soy meal created SPCs comparable to commercial SPC in terms of composition, but with varied functionalities that are relevant for novel soy-food developments.


Experiments are made on the compressibilities of solid n-paraffins. The lattice deformations due to pressure are measured with the aid of X-rays, the pressures ranging between 700 and 1500 atm. It is found that the linear compressibilities in a plane normal to the chain axes are of the order of 3 to 12 x 10~12 cm.2/dyne. The compressibility in the direction of the chain is less than 3 x 10~13 cm.2/dyne. Numerical estimates show that the repulsive forces between paraffin chains have their origin essentially in the hydrogen shells that surround the carbon chain. The forces are of the same order as those existing between helium atoms.


ABSTRACT The cellular attachment and entry of pathogenic microorganisms can be facilitated by the expression of microbial adhesins that bind fibronectin. We have previously described a Borrelia burgdorferi gene, bbk32, that encodes a 47-kDa fibronectin-binding protein. In this study, the ligand-binding region of BBK32 from B. burgdorferi isolate B31 was localized to 32 amino acids. The bbk32 gene was cloned and sequenced from three additional B. burgdorferi isolates representing different genospecies of B. burgdorferi sensu lato. All four bbk32 genes encoded proteins having fibronectin-binding activity when expressed in Escherichia coli, and the deduced proteins shared 81 to 91% amino acid sequence identity within the ligand-binding domain. In addition, the ligand-binding region of BBK32 was found to share sequence homology with a fibronectin-binding peptide defined for protein F1 ofStreptococcus pyogenes. The structural and functional similarity between the ligand-binding region of BBK32 and the UR region of protein F1 suggests a common mechanism of cellular adhesion and entry for B. burgdorferi and S. pyogenes.


In this work, the first target is to model and effectively resolve the Arrival Sequencing and Scheduling problem (ASS). The problem is NP-hard and exists in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) for a long time. It has been the hottest topic in transportation research due to the constantly increasing aviation traffic volume around the world. This paper attempts to design a mathematical integer linear model, with the constraints of limited time windows. We begin by modeling the (ASS) problem by a quadratic integer program and propose a change of variables to linearize the problem, i.e. transforming the quadratic constraints to linear constraints. The second target is to resolve the model by an exact method based on the algorithm of branch and bound. Numerical simulations are applied to real data to show the effectiveness of our new formulation and our approach. They are presented at the end of this article.


Plant height (PH) is controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in rice. In the present study, a recombinant inbred line population developed by crossing two rice cultivars, Lemont and Yangdao4, was grown in eight environments for QTL analysis. Multiple interval mapping detected 53 PH-QTLs, 39 of which clustered at 12 chromosome regions/putative loci. An examination of the 12 putative loci identified 24 alleles that are simultaneously involved in controlling PH. Linear regression analyses suggested that these 24 alleles function additively across the 12 loci to control PH, and plants carrying more PH-increasing alleles at the 12 loci were taller than those carrying more PH-decreasing alleles. Multiple comparison tests indicated that the effect of a single allele at the 12 loci was small and that multiple alleles must be pyramided to attain a statistically significant effect. The closest markers to the 12 loci can be used directly in marker-assisted breeding to manipulate PH.


Cell size is a complex trait that responds to developmental and environmental cues. Quantitative analysis of the size phenome in the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans uncovered 195 genes that markedly altered cell size, few of which overlapped with known size genes in other yeast species. A potent size regulator specific to C. albicans was the conserved p38/HOG MAPK module that mediates the osmotic stress response. Basal HOG activity inhibited the SBF G1/S transcription factor complex in a stress-independent fashion to delay the G1/S transition. The HOG network also governed ribosome biogenesis through the master transcriptional regulator Sfp1. Hog1 bound to the promoters and cognate transcription factors for both the G1/S and ribosome biogenesis regulons and thereby directly linked cell growth and division. These results illuminate the evolutionary plasticity of size control and identify the HOG module as a nexus of cell cycle and growth regulation.


Abstract Background Patient and public involvement (PPI) in the Brazilian Health Technology Assessment (HTA) process occurs in response to a legislative mandate for "social participation." This resulted in some limited patient participation activities, and, therefore, a more systematic approach was needed. The study describes the development of a suggested framework for action to improve PPI in HTA. Methods This work used formal methodology to develop a PPI framework based on three-phase mixed-methods research with desktop review of Brazilian PPI activities in HTA; workshop, survey, and interviews with Brazilian stakeholders; and a rapid review of international practices to enact effective patient involvement. Patient partners reviewed the draft framework. Results According to patient group representatives, their involvement in the Brazilian HTA process is important but could be improved. Different stakeholders perceived barriers, identified values, and made suggestions for improvement, such as expansion of communication, capacity building, and transparency, to support more meaningful patient involvement. The international practices identified opportunities for earlier, more active, and collaborative PPI during all HTA stages, based on values and principles that are relevant for Brazilian patients and the public. These findings were synthesized to design a framework that defines and systematizes actions to support PPI in Brazil, highlighting the importance of evaluating these strategies. Conclusions Since the publication of this framework, some of its suggestions are being implemented in the Brazilian HTA process to improve PPI. We encourage other HTA organizations to consider a systematic and planned approach with regular evaluation when pursuing or strengthening involvement practices.


Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is a member of the PARP enzyme family consisting of PARP-1 and a growing family of additional, novel poly(ADP-ribosylating) enzymes. PARP-1 is one of the most abundant nuclear proteins, and it functions as a DNA nick sensor enzyme. Upon binding to DNA breaks, activated PARP cleaves NAD(+) into nicotinamide and ADP-ribose and polymerizes the latter onto nuclear acceptor proteins including histones, transcription factors and PARP itself. Overactivation of PARP in response to oxidant- and free radical-mediated excessive DNA single strand breaks promotes cell dysfunction and necrotic-type cell death in a variety of pathophysiological conditions. Emerging data indicate that high circulating glucose in diabetes mellitus is able to induce free radical and oxidant generation in the cardiovascular system with the concomitant activation of PARP. This process results in acute loss of the ability of the endothelium to release nitric oxide (endothelial dysfunction) and leads to a severe functional impairment of the heart (diabetic cardiomyopathy). Accordingly, pharmacological inhibition of PARP protects against diabetic cardiovascular dysfunction. Surprisingly, PARP inhibition not only prevents the development of diabetic endothelial dysfunction, but also restores normal vascular function in established diabetes. In addition to the direct cytotoxic pathway regulated by DNA injury and PARP activation, PARP also modulates the course of cardiovascular inflammation and injury by regulating the activation of NF-kappaB, and the expression of a number of proinflammatory genes. The research into the role of PARP in diabetic cardiovascular injury is now supported by novel tools, such as new classes of potent inhibitors of PARP, as well as genetically engineered animals lacking the gene for PARP. Inhibitors of PARP may become useful in the experimental therapy of diabetic vascular complications. (c) 2002 Prous Science. All rights reserved.


The purpose of this thesis is to examine how power structures concerning gender and sexuality emerge through the use of language in the Swedish reality show Paradise Hotel. Of particular interest is the representation of heterosexual relations in the show. Because of its interest in the relationship between power, gender and sexuality, the thesis is based on theories from gender and discourse studies. The specific theories referred to are Michel Foucault's understanding of power, stereotypes according to Stuart Hall, Yvonne Hirdman's gender system and contract theory, Judith Butler's heterosexual matrix and R.W. Connell's theory of hegemonic masculinity. The empirical data consists of eight episodes of Paradise Hotel from 2014, which has been transcribed and analysed through the use of Norman Furlough's critical discourse analysis (CDA).The results showed that Paradise Hotel portrays the male and female participants as fundamentally different and therefore they are allowed to behave in different ways. Among other things, it appeared that men have a high sex drive and they expect to get this need satisfied. The women on the other hand are discredited if they have sex with many partners. As a part of the concept of Paradise Hotel is to share rooms with a partner of the opposite sex there are certain expectations of intimacy. The male participants exercise power by claiming their partners as possessions. Neither do they respect the female boundaries regarding their bodies and sexuality. The women also participate in maintaining the patriarchal order in the show. However, some of the female participants oppose to a norm saying women should be sexually passive. For competition purposes they use their bodies and cunning in order to influence the men. Notably, while some of the discourses that emerged in the analysis reflect social power structures, others are reserved to Paradise Hotel since there are rules that only apply to the show.


A simple, rapid and accurate reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of lamivudine and stavudine in tablet dosage form is developed and validated. The chromatographic analysis was performed on a C 18column grace smart RP18 (250×4.6 mm, 5 μm) in isocratic mode, the mobile phase consisted of methanol, acetonitrile and 0.05 M phosphate buffer (adjusted topH 4.5 with ortho-phosphoric acid) at a ratio of 60:20:20 v/v/v, and a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and ASPD detector is used. The eluents were monitored at 254 nm. The retention time of lamivudine and stavudine were found to be 2.50 min and 4.25 min, respectively. The linear ranges were found to be 10-602 2 μg/mL (r =0.9992) for lamivudine and 10-60 μg/mL (r =0.999) for stavudine . The proposed method is also found to be accurate, precise androbust. The method could be applied to routine quality control of pharmaceutical formulations containing lamivudine and stavudine.


In Moral Education for Women in the Pastoral and Pythagorean Letters: Philosophers of the Household, Annette Bourland Huizenga examines the Greco-Roman moral-philosophical "curriculum" for women by comparing these two pseudepigraphic epistolary collections.


This paper presents a frequency weighted generalized total least squares linear prediction for estimating closely spaced sinusoids. In this method, the received data is first processed by a pole-zero prefilter and then a generalized total least squares linear prediction is applied to the prefiltered signal. A procedure of optimizing the generalized solution is introduced. By computer simulations, it is shown that the solution can outperform the existing well known total least squares solutions especially in low signal-to-noise ratio.


The present work deals with trials of the method of rapid diagnosis of streptococcal infection, carried out in children's infectious hospital, with the use of a new diagnostic kit. The proposed diagnosticum has proved to be highly sensitive and specific in scarlet fever and tonsillitis. The sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosticum depend on the duration of the disease, prehospital treatment and the quality of the bacteriological analysis.


We present a method for a certain class of Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) that can relate the optimal policy back to one or more reward sources in the environment. For a given initial state, without fully computing the value function, q-value function, or the optimal policy the algorithm can determine which rewards will and will not be collected, whether a given reward will be collected only once or continuously, and which local maximum within the value function the initial state will ultimately lead to. We demonstrate that the method can be used to map the state space to identify regions that are dominated by one reward source and can fully analyze the state space to explain all actions. We provide a mathematical framework to show how all of this is possible without first computing the optimal policy or value function.


Symmetry is at once a familiar concept (we recognize it when we see it!) and a profoundly deep mathematical subject. At its most basic, a symmetry is some transformation of an object that leaves the object (or some aspect of the object) unchanged. For example, a square can be transformed in eight different ways that leave it looking exactly the same: the identity "do-nothing" transformation, 3 rotations, and 4 mirror images (or reflections). In the context of decision problems, the presence of symmetries in a problem's search space can frustrate the hunt for a solution by forcing a search algorithm to fruitlessly explore symmetric subspaces that do not contain solutions. Recognizing that such symmetries exist, we can direct a search algorithm to look for solutions only in non-symmetric parts of the search space. In many cases, this can lead to significant pruning of the search space and yield solutions to problems which are otherwise intractable. This chapter explores the symmetries of Boolean functions, particularly the symmetries of their conjunctive normal form (CNF) representations. Specifically, it examines what those symmetries are, how to model them using the mathematical language of group theory, how to derive them from a CNF formula, and how to utilize them to speed up CNF SAT solvers.


Sarcoidosis, also referred to as Morbus Boeck or Morbus Besnier-BoeckSchaumann disease, usually attacks the lungs and is therefore frequently taught within the scope of pulmonary diseases. The bottom line is, however, that this disease can also affect any other organ meaning that medical students may not only encounter its clinical picture in many exams dealing with various specialties but also in their clinical routines in different specialty disciplines. You will learn in this article how to accurately classify the progression and symptoms of sarcoidosis and to take the right steps to diagnose and treat it.


Personal construct theory (PCT; Kelly, 1955) had its focus of convenience in psychotherapy, and consequently has been developed as an individualistic approach to the person. However, it has its roots in pragmatism, a movement which had a thorough appreciation of both the individual and the social world. The contention in this article is that PCT has potential as a theory of social action, making a significant contribution to the agency/structure debate. With reference to the work both of Kelly and of contemporary constructivists, it is argued that PCT can be drawn on to complement the pragmatic social psychology of Mead (1934). PCT's conceptualization of choice allows us to theorize personal agency and its relationship to the context of social construction within which it is embedded.


People who travel to a place may not know well about the information of the sites. Fortunately, people may have a personal device such as a mobile phone which has a digital camera and broadband wireless accesses, and the device can serve as a convenient equipment to access the information of geographic locations when people visit the place. This paper presents a system, called the GLOBE (GLobe On moBilE), consisting of a mobile, a client and a server. The GLOBE mobile is a mobile phone equipped with GPS, height, direction, angle sensors which are used to estimate the three-dimensional (3D) geographic location on the earth of the objects in the photo. The GLOBE client and server can manage these photos with 3D location information, annotate the objects on the photo, associate the information and travel notes with the photos, and share their photos with people on the Internet. Therefore, people just use the GLOBE mobile to take a picture on the object that they feel interested during a trip, and can immediately obtain the information of the object by searching on the GLOBE server. The proposed system helps people to learn information behind sites and objects they visited, and helps users to manage and share the information during atrip.


This paper presents the first practical implementation of electrical impedance tomography for the imaging of a gravel-air-seawater mixture, wherein the image reconstruction is performed using a neural network. Although research into the use of neural networks for image reconstruction has been done, previous work has predominantly made use of simulated capacitance or impedance readings to train the networks . In contrast, this paper adopts a new practical approach whereby the networks are trained and tested using real data from an existing impedance tomography system. The practical aspects of generating this database are discussed and the network training details are given. Results indicate that the trained networks are able to discriminate among the seawater, gravel and air phases and reconstruct images of bubble configurations not included in the training database. In terms of the intended application, accurate predictions of volume fraction are required. Consequently, this paper examines an alternative solution to this problem, whereby the networks are trained to predict the volume fractions directly rather than first performing an image reconstruction as is standard . Results indicate that these volume fraction predictors outperform the image reconstruction networks in terms of the accuracies of the volume fraction predictions for each of the three phases.


The Anomurans of the Aegean coasts of Turkey were studied between 1987 and 1997, in the region from the Gulf of Saros in the north to Marmaris in south at 17 stations; the 811 specimens obtained were identified as belonging to 28 species. Moreover, all of the early studies were reviewed on the Anomuran fauna of Turkish coasts and it was determined that 3 species were reported from the Black Sea coasts of Turkey, 20 species from the Sea of Marmara, 27 species from the Aegean coasts of Turkey and 17 species from the Turkish coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. From the 28 species determined during this study, 5 species (Galathea nexa, Galathea cenarroi, Munida tenuimama, Pagurus chevreuxi and Paguristes syrtensis) are new records for the Aegean coasts of Turkey, and 3 species (P. chevreuxi, P. syrtensis, and G. cenarroi) are new records for the Turkish coasts.


The literature in English on the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen is very limited in quantity and generally poor in quality. This book does not do much to rectify that situation. This is a pity as the authoress is in the rare position of having extensive first-hand knowledge of the country for she spent five years there as a teacher beginning in 1977. Her account is a sympathetic, not to say partial, one and the the violence which has characterized the politics of the country is largely ignored. The removal of the President on 26 June 1978 is discussed, for example, without reference to the fact that several hundred people were reported to have been killed in the process, while the secret trial and rapid execution of the former Foreign Minister in March 1981 is seen as illustrating ' a deplorable absence of acceptable methods of political retirement' (p. 91). The book devotes a great deal of space to ideology but it does not examine the far more important topic of the tribal and regional affiliations of leading political figures. It is these, rather than differing interpretations of Marxist dogma, which continue to provide the key to an understanding of politics in the P.D.R.Y. The chapters which review social and economic policies are not without interest and weaknesses in the educational system and in agriculture are discussed quite frankly. The book also offers a sensible warning about the unreliability of official statistics, but unfortunately it does not itself always heed that caution.


In this article, we derive a binary tree–based model for convertible bond valuation subject to credit risk modeling. Our model, which belongs to the framework known as equity to credit risk, is based on the so-called reduced-form (constant intensity of default model for the underlying) and so-called synthesis (variable intensity of default model for the underlying) credit risk models. We show that our model converges in continuous time to the Ayache–Forsyth–Vetzal convertible bond valuation model introduced in 2003. We highlight and quantify certain issues that arise, such as transition probability analysis and threshold values of model inputs (tree step and underlying stock price). The model we propose provides an alternative way to develop the price dynamics model suggested by the Ayache–Forsyth–Vetzal model for convertible bonds, taking into account credit risk.


The forward current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of Ni/Au Schottky contacts on AlGaN/GaN heterostructures have been studied in this work. The electrical characteristics exhibited a strongly non‐ideal behavior that could not be described by the thermionic emission theory. Hence, we used a "two diodes model," considering both the presence of the Ni/AlGaN barrier and of a second barrier height at the AlGaN/GaN heterojunction. Capacitance–voltage (C–V) measurements enabled us to experimentally determine the properties of the two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) and, hence, of the second barrier at the AlGaN/GaN interface. Following this approach, the anomalous I–V curves could be explained. Moreover, the value of the barrier height at zero‐electric field (flat‐band barrier height) was introduced and determined with this procedure, and resulted in a good agreement with literature data based on photoemission measurements. This approach provides a valid procedure for an accurate determination of the barrier height in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures, and the results can have useful implications for the fabrication of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs devices.


: Superior mesenteric artery syndrome (SMAS) is a rare and acquired anatomical condition characterized by vomiting, abdominal distension, weight loss and postprandial distress due to compression of the transverse portion of the duodenum between the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and aorta, which causes duodenal outflow problems. We report a case series of three patients with SMAS. Diagnosis of the syndrome was made by augmenting a high degree of suspicion with repeat gastroscopies, CT scans and hypotonic duodenal contrast series showing compression of the horizontal part of the duodenum located between the vessels specified above. Medical therapy for the condition is aimed at nutritional rehabilitation so that weight gain results in relief of the obstruction. In each of our patients, surgical treatment was necessary during which the ligament of Treitz was divided and a side-to-side duodenojejunostomy was performed. In all, the weight loss seen preoperatively has been corrected.


Governments worldwide are increasingly focusing on creating customer value in public services and customer experience management to improve public sector performance and increase citizens' trust in government. Therefore, recently there has been an increase in scientific literature and case studies analysing different aspects of customer value creation and/or customer experience in public services. Still, the interaction between the two is not clearly disclosed and linked. The purpose of this research is to accentuate the insights arising from research in science and practice, to summarise and systematise the knowledge already created and to perform an empirical study. Applying the methods of researching the content of scientific literature and practical reports, the article reveals the interaction between the value of public services to the customer and the customer experience in services. The aim of this study is to reveal the concept of customer value creation by applying customer experience management in public services. After refining the general theoretical insights of service value creation for the customer, the basics of the need and benefits of their application in the provision of public services as well as the application of the method of value creation for the customer in the provision of public services are analysed. The findings of this research positions the customer value in public services as a subjective phenomenon, i. e., the value is created by customers as it is based on their experiences in the process of service provision. In contrast, service providers create a value creation system for customers, which turns them into the co-creators of that value. Value creation for the customer occurs through the co-production and co-design of public services, where the customer is an active participant in different stages of service provision. Customer needs and expectations are evolving, and public service providers need to be able to recognise and track them and respond to these changes by applying a customer journey approach in the value creation system.


ABSTRACT Lower Cretaceous sandstone turbidites in the Scapa Field (North Sea) contain a complex variety of authigenic quartz microfabrics. Early diagenetic microfabrics predate burial calcite cements and compaction. They comprise abundant grain-rimming microquartz, intergranular aggregates of microquartz with authigenic illite-smectite, and localized isopachous cryptocrystalline quartz and chalcedonite fringes. These precipitates contain evidence of precursor opal-CT, in the form of dissolved, recrystallized, or pseudomorphed lepispheres and rim cements. Late diagenetic quartz microfabrics are postcompactional and either replace or overgrow burial calcite cements. They display a paragenetic trend from microporous, fibrous silica (quartzine or chalcedonite) to equant, syntaxial, and mosaic meso uartz cements. None of these contain evidence for opal-CT precursors, and they are likely to have precipitated directly from silica-rich pore fluids. Cathodoluminescence examination of calcite-cemented sandstone intervals reveals that siliceous sponge spicules were a major depositional component, and were the most likely silica source for opal-CT and subsequent quartz cementation. Dissolution of biogenic silica and formation of opal-CT began shortly after deposition, with replacement of opal-CT by quartz during burial of the Scapa Member to 1-2 km. The early diagenetic silica transformations are identical to those recorded from Cenozoic porcelanites and cherts. Thermodynamic models developed for the diagenesis of biogenic cherts can therefore be applied to the Scapa sandstones, and qualitatively explain the development of contrasting quartz microfabrics on a bed-to-bed (or smaller) scale. In contrast, direct precipitation of chalce onic quartz during late diagenesis required a resurgence of high supersaturations. This is difficult to account for without some import of silica to the sandstones and/or cooling of pore fluids. Precipitation most probably occurred from allochthonous, deep basinal brines associated with early stages of hydrocarbon migration.


We study problems in multiobjective optimization, in which solutions to a combinatorial optimization problem are evaluated with respect to several cost criteria, and we are interested in the trade-off between these objectives (the so-called Pareto curve). We point out that, under very general conditions, there is a polynomially succinct curve that /spl epsiv/-approximates the Pareto curve, for any /spl epsiv/>0. We give a necessary and sufficient condition under which this approximate Pareto curve can be constructed in time polynomial in the size of the instance and 1//spl epsiv/. In the case of multiple linear objectives, we distinguish between two cases: when the underlying feasible region is convex, then we show that approximating the multi-objective problem is equivalent to approximating the single-objective problem. If however the feasible region is discrete, then we point out that the question reduces to an old and recurrent one: how does the complexity of a combinatorial optimization problem change when its feasible region is intersected with a hyperplane with small coefficients; we report some interesting new findings in this domain. Finally, we apply these concepts and techniques to formulate and solve approximately a cost-time-quality trade-off for optimizing access to the World-Wide Web, in a model first studied by Etzioni et al. (1996) (which was actually the original motivation for this work).


Communications as an important aspect life plays a major role in our daily routine. With the progress in age and growth in its demand, there has been rapid development in the field of communications. Analog signals which were used to send information previously are now sent in digital domain in a much wider range. For better performance in terms of transmissions, single carriers are replaced by multi-carriers Some of the methods that use multi-carriers for transmission are Orthogonal Division Frequency Multiplexing (OFDM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). In OFDM system, orthogonally placed subcarriers are used to carry the data from the transmitter to the receiver. The guard band present in this system avoids the system from being effected by Inter Symbol Interference (ISI). However, Doppler Shifts and delays induced in the channel due to various reasons impose frequency offset to the carrier. This results in an error in the Synchronization between the transmitter and receiver. This leads to the loss of orthogonally between the subcarriers and thus degrades the performance of the OFDM system.In this project, the Synchronization error in OFDM is discussed in particular and a technique of estimating the Carrier Frequency Offset (CFO) using Null Subcarriers is studied.


The aim of this PhD thesis, developed in the framework of the Italian Agroscenari research project, is to compare current irrigation volumes in two study area in Emilia-Romagna with the likely irrigation under climate change conditions. This comparison was carried out between the reference period 1961-1990, as defined by WMO, and the 2021-2050 period. For this period, multi-model climatic projections on the two study areas were available.
So, the climatic projections were analyzed in term of their impact on irrigation demand and adaptation strategies for fruit and horticultural crops in the study area of Faenza, with a detailed analysis for kiwifruit vine, and for horticultural crops in Piacenza plan, focusing on the irrigation water needs of tomato.
We produced downscaled climatic projections (based on A1B Ipcc emission scenario) for the two study areas. The climate change impacts for the period 2021-2050 on crop irrigation water needs and other agrometeorological index were assessed by means of the Criteria water balance model, in the two versions available, Criteria BdP (local) and Geo (spatial) with different levels of detail. We found in general for both the areas an irrigation demand increase of about +10% comparing the 2021-2050 period with the reference years 1961-1990, but no substantial differences with more recent years (1991-2008), mainly due to a projected increase in spring precipitation compensating the projected higher summer temperature and evapotranspiration. As a consequence, it is not forecasted a dramatic increase in the irrigation volumes with respect to the current volumes.


Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a novel and clinically promising imaging modality to image retinal and sub-retinal vasculature. Based on repeated optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans, intensity changes are observed over time and used to compute OCTA image data. OCTA data are prone to noise and artifacts caused by variations in flow speed and patient movement. We propose a novel iterative maximum a posteriori signal recovery algorithm in order to generate OCTA volumes with reduced noise and increased image quality. This algorithm is based on previous work on probabilistic OCTA signal models and maximum likelihood estimates. Reconstruction results using total variation minimization and wavelet shrinkage for regularization were compared against an OCTA ground truth volume, merged from six co-registered single OCTA volumes. The results show a significant improvement in peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity. The presented algorithm brings together OCTA image generation and Bayesian statistics and can be developed into new OCTA image generation and denoising algorithms.


Despite having more advantages, a modular multilevel converter (MMC) has a circulating current as one of its main drawbacks that augments arm current greatly. However, circulating current suppression (CCS) of the conventional MMC will deteriorate the power quality of direct current (DC)-link voltage. This study proposes the CCS by applying the three-winding transformer and a DC-alternating current CCS inverter. The mathematical models of the proposed MMC and circulating current are analysed in detail. The parameter setting of the three-winding transformer is also discussed and is set to have an equivalent arm inductance of the conventional MMC to make comparisons. The comparing results validate that the proposed MMC can exhibit much better performance under steady and dynamic conditions. The significant DC-link voltage ripple that exists in the conventional MMC does not appear. The mean-square-error values of DC-link voltage have more than 90 per cent improvement under steady and dynamic conditions. Due to this contribution, the proposed MMC can provide better DC-link power quality.


The world of energy and natural resources development has changed a great deal over the past 30 months, perhaps more so than in the preceding 30 years. Beginning with the June 2016 vote in the United Kingdom to leave the European Union and continuing through today, there are global signs of increasing emphasis on protecting national sovereignty and less on world efforts to address major environmental and energy issues. Admittedly, the United Nations-based effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions continues to move forward. However, more than a few nations are hinting that they may not live up to their commitments agreed in the form of the Paris Climate Agreement. There is no clearer example than the United States, where since January 2017 President Donald Trump has taken steps to deconstruct the US federal government's role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This article – current as of 1 December – takes account of what is happening around the world in terms of major political changes that will affect the world's ability to address environmental challenges. Special attention is devoted to what is happening in the US under the Trump administration. The final part of the article analyses the impact of the November 2018 midterm election that will see Democrats take charge of the US House of Representatives in January 2019 and the Trump administration environmental, energy and natural resources agenda.


Background and objectives Major limitation of the sewage sludge use in agriculture is a potential release of heavy metals from the sludge and their accumulation to toxic levels in the topsoil. The total content of the metals can be important for long-term assessment of sewage sludge application, but only an available portion of the metal can immediately affect its accumulation in plant biomass. The influence of materials affecting pH (limestone, lime) and sorption capacity (bentonite, zeolite), added to sewage sludges of various origin and incubated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions for eight months, on the distribution of Cd and Zn was studied. Materials and Methods The modified SM&T EUR 14763 EN sequential extraction procedure was applied to evaluate water-soluble, exchangeable, Fe/Mn oxide-bound, organic-bound, and residual cadmium and zinc in the treated sewage sludge. In alkaline solution (AS) and humic acid solution (HA), obtained by fractionation of humic substances, Cd and Zn contents were determined. The content of fulvic acids (FA) was calculated as FA = AS - HA. Results The Zn proportion in water-soluble and exchangeable fractions was greater than that of Cd. Limestone and lime addition to sludge decreased the Cd and Zn contents in available fraction at the end of aerobic incubation. Most Cd and Zn was bound in sludge incubated under anaerobic conditions in organic and residual fractions. Lack of air caused a higher portion of organic Cd and Zn in humic acid fraction compared with aerobic conditions. The limestone addition to sludge and aerobic or anaerobic incubation strongly enhanced the Cd proportion in humic acid fraction compared with bentonite and zeolite addition. A greater cadmium proportion was bound in humic acid fraction compared with zinc.


Objective: To validate the Narcolepsy Severity Scale (NSS), a brief clinical instrument to evaluate the severity and consequences of symptoms in patients with narcolepsy type 1 (NT1). Methods: A 15-item scale to assess the frequency and severity of excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, hypnagogic hallucinations, sleep paralysis, and disrupted nighttime sleep was developed and validated by sleep experts with patients' feedback. Seventy untreated and 146 treated adult patients with NT1 were evaluated and completed the NSS in a single reference sleep center. The NSS psychometric properties, score changes with treatment, and convergent validity with other clinical parameters were assessed. Results: The NSS showed good psychometric properties with significant item-total score correlations. The factor analysis indicated a 3-factor solution with good reliability, expressed by satisfactory Cronbach α values. The NSS total score temporal stability was good. Significant NSS score differences were observed between untreated and treated patients (dependent sample, 41 patients before and after sleep therapy; independent sample, 29 drug-free and 105 treated patients). Scores were lower in the treated populations (10-point difference between groups), without ceiling effect. Significant correlations were found among NSS total score and daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Mean Sleep Latency Test), depressive symptoms, and health-related quality of life. Conclusions: The NSS can be considered a reliable and valid clinical tool for the quantification of narcolepsy symptoms to monitor and optimize narcolepsy management.


Most respiratory patients are prescribed inhaled medication. During a hospital admission, in Ireland, these inhalers are often left with the patient at their bedside for self-administration. We have no idea of how many doses the patient has taken, or even if the medication was taken properly.

A novel acoustic inhaler tracking device was used to assess when and how an individual took their inhaler, INhaler Compliance Assessment (INCA). An initial audit of inhaler use in hospital was done.

A quality improvement program (inhaler policy) occurred in our hospital, which involved inhalers being stored in individually labelled 'inhaler bags' in the drug trolley and administered only as prescribed and supervised for technique errors by nursing staff. A follow-up audit of inhaler use was done with the INCA device.

Fifty-one in-patients on a salmeterol/fluticosone Diskus inhaler were randomly selected. Errors were divided in to timing and technique. Errors in timing were noted in 37% of patients, with 16% having significant overdosing. Technique errors were high, with 40% of patients having problems with inhaler technique.

Fifty-nine patients were randomly selected post policy. Errors in timing reduced to 11%, and technique errors also reduced to 19%.

A change of inhaler policy, recorded by a novel inhaler tracker device showed a satisfactory improvement in patient timing and technique errors. We have proposed this new 'inhaler policy' to become a national hospital policy.

View this table:

Table 1: Comparing Pre and Post Policy Change


ABC County's Welfare-to-Work (WTW) Program Participation Rate by Alberto Banuelos MPA, Arkansas State University, 2014 BA, Fresno Pacific University, 2013 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration Walden University November 2019 Abstract Welfare-to-work (WTW) programs are an essential part of societal assistance made available to families in need. In ABC County, CA, problems have been found with the implementation and success rates of their WTW program: Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). Even with funds allotted for the program, ABC County has not been able to design a WTW program that meets the TANF program work participation requirement of 50% of active TANF recipients in a WTW activity. The purpose of this study was to address this need as it related to the TANF program specifically. A qualitative, exploratory, single case study was used to explore how TANF personnel interacted with TANF recipients and how that interaction influenced recipients' decision to participate in this WTW program. Data was collected from 12 TANF workers using semi-structured interviews, observation sessions, and document reviews. The results of this study indicated that the most relevant strategies TANF eligibility staff could use when interacting with TANF recipients were: cultural sensitivity, motivating, providing information, and empathizing. Shortcomings that were identified and that still need to be addressed and improved upon were communication skills, a general lack of encouragement, judgmental behavior, and personal insecurities. In terms of TANF staff perceptions regarding their influence on client decisions to participate in the program, there were mixed results. Seven study participants believed that they had an influence onWelfare-to-work (WTW) programs are an essential part of societal assistance made available to families in need. In ABC County, CA, problems have been found with the implementation and success rates of their WTW program: Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). Even with funds allotted for the program, ABC County has not been able to design a WTW program that meets the TANF program work participation requirement of 50% of active TANF recipients in a WTW activity. The purpose of this study was to address this need as it related to the TANF program specifically. A qualitative, exploratory, single case study was used to explore how TANF personnel interacted with TANF recipients and how that interaction influenced recipients' decision to participate in this WTW program. Data was collected from 12 TANF workers using semi-structured interviews, observation sessions, and document reviews. The results of this study indicated that the most relevant strategies TANF eligibility staff could use when interacting with TANF recipients were: cultural sensitivity, motivating, providing information, and empathizing. Shortcomings that were identified and that still need to be addressed and improved upon were communication skills, a general lack of encouragement, judgmental behavior, and personal insecurities. In terms of TANF staff perceptions regarding their influence on client decisions to participate in the program, there were mixed results. Seven study participants believed that they had an influence on client participation in this WTW program while the rest of the participants disagreed with this statement for various reasons. As a result of this research, potential social implications include the improvement of the TANF program overall and an increase in the participation rate of the beneficiaries within the program. ABC County's Welfare-to-Work (WTW) Program Participation Rate by Alberto Banuelos MPA, Arkansas State University, 2014 BA, Fresno Pacific University, 2013 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration


In this study, we report on the structural parameters and texture development which occurred during deposition and annealing of PbS films and their effect on optical properties. The films under study were deposited on glass substrates through chemical bath method. The reactive substances used to obtain the PbS layers were lead accetae trihydrated, thiourea and hydrazine hydrate. The films were prepared with one molar bath concentration and for various deposition times. The data showed that as-prepared and annealed thin films are polycrystalline with cubic structure and predominantly textured along 100. Results showed that thinner films are more prone to post deposition heat treatments as compared to thicker ones. Deposition parameters and thermal treatment strongly influence the optical properties of PbS films.


Abstract Around 6% of U.K. children are underachieving at school relative to their potential (URP). We explored whether difficulties with phonological decoding, short-term memory (STM), and complex grammar may be responsible. We compared school-based reading test data or formal SATs, and verbal reasoning in 2462 children (150 URP and 2312 non-URP children) and administered a 7-min follow-up test to a matched subgroup of 106 URP and 106 non-URP children. Thirty-three of our original 150 URP children (22%) scored in the top 10% nationally for verbal reasoning, compared with 46 of our 2312 non-URP children (2%). Phonological decoding, STM, and complex grammar acquisition made independent URP contributions in children aged 7–9; in ages 10–12, only phonological decoding contributed. URP children were more likely to show multiple difficulties. The 7-min test enables school staff to quickly identify areas for targeted support. Some URP children not previously detected as capable may be encouraged to take up and succeed in further education.